Ranking the Players Who Are More and Less Important to Arsenal Than 1 Year Ago
A year is a long time in football. A player's stock can fall or rise dramatically in the space of 12 months. It's not unheard of for a player to go from hero to zero (or vice versa) in a matter of months.
That can be particularly true at Arsenal, where the Emirates Stadium crowd are renowned for their volatility. In this piece, we take a look at the players whose status at Arsenal has shifted most over the past year.
It's worth remembering that no recent signings were considered, as they held no importance whatsoever at Arsenal last season. It's also important to point out that this is not intended as a list of Arsenal's most and least important players. This is an attempt to observe and analyse the change in players' roles since November 2016.
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More important
4. Jack Wilshere
A year ago, Jack Wilshere wasn't even playing for Arsenal. After growing disillusioned with a lack of playing time, he had moved on loan to fellow Premier League side Bournemouth. However, he's now part of the squad and steadily rehabilitating his reputation.
That didn't necessarily seem likely just a few months ago. Wilshere didn't pull up any trees on the south coast, and with just a year remaining on his Arsenal deal manager Arsene Wenger must have considered sanctioning a permanent departure for the academy product.
However, Wilshere managed to hold on to a place in the Arsenal squad—and on recent evidence he's not prepared to let it go without a fight. Arsenal's participation in the Europa League and Carabao Cup has forced Wenger to rotate his squad, and Wilshere has been one of the major beneficiaries. He's effectively a fixture in Wenger's second XI and has even made the odd cameo in the Premier League.
When he has had the chance to play, there have been signs of his old magic returning. Arsenal fans are eager to see him make a positive impact—he is one of the few players in the current squad that has an authentic affinity with the club and its supporters.
All in all, Wilshere has made eight appearances for the Gunners this season—that's more than the likes of Danny Welbeck or even club captain Per Mertesacker. Crucially, he's managed to remain injury free.
Wenger has been sufficiently impressed to consider handing Wilshere a new deal. Per David Hytner of the Guardian earlier this month, he said:
"Jack was ready to be in the dark at the start of the season and just work hard. He was determined and now he feels he has found that little bit of sharpness which is decided in the first two yards. Since he has been playing for us everybody has started to think in a different way about him.
"I said many times that [Wilshere's contract] would be decided in December. I wanted to give him six months not to think about that and see where we go. Do we want to clear it up before the January window? Yes."
If Wilshere puts pen to paper on a new deal before the year is out, it will put the seal on a remarkable return.
3. Granit Xhaka
This time last year Granit Xhaka was still settling into life in the Premier League. As with most new signings, Wenger was reluctant to use him too regularly, as the Switzerland international acclimatised to the pace of the English game. However, Xhaka has now established himself as one of the first names on the Arsenal teamsheet.
That's not to suggest he's perfect. At the start of the season, Xhaka was guilty of conceding possession in dangerous areas of the field—and Arsenal were punished on more than one occasion.
However, it's telling that despite those errors, Xhaka was never dropped. Wenger seemingly recognises that his skill set is unique within the Arsenal squad. With Santi Cazorla still out injured, Xhaka is the only man Wenger deems able to operate as the team's deep-lying playmaker.
That's the former Monchengladbach man's strong suit. His strong frame and love of a tackle has led to misconceptions about precisely the kind of player Xhaka is. Many Arsenal fans expected a destroyer, but instead they've got a creator. In conversation with the Guardian, Xhaka said:
"I'd actually describe myself as a fake No. 10—in other words, a No. 10 that plays further back. But I do think I'm a two-sided player. I am very confident that I have certain skills in world football, but I am also a dedicated fighter."
Xhaka has plenty of fight, but it's his passing ability that has made him a fixture in the Arsenal side. For better or worse, Wenger has seemingly decided to make the midfield partnership between Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey the hub of his Arsenal side.
2. Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey's importance to Arsenal seems to be on the rise all the time. The FA Cup-winning goal back in May helped—it's the second time the Welshman has struck the crucial goal in a cup final, and effectively cemented his status as an Arsenal icon.
However, the real reason Ramsey is growing in influence is that he could soon be one of Arsenal's few bona fide stars. With doubts persisting over the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, it's possible that he could be the heartbeat of this Arsenal team by the summer of 2018.
His performances this season suggest he is eager to step up to the plate. He has already scored three times in 2017/18, and has covered an absurd amount of ground in his roaming box-to-box role.
Wenger is seeing signs of maturity from the Welshman, even talking him up as a potential future captain. Per James Benge of the Evening Standard, the Arsenal boss said:
"Why not? It is all there. He has maturity, has improved technically and is more conscious of the importance of his technical qualities. His game is clean. He has a huge physical power."
In the short term, Arsenal's priority will be to tie Ramsey down to a new deal to ensure he does not go the same way as Alexis and Ozil.
1. Nacho Monreal
In November 2016, Arsenal were still regularly lining up with a back four. One of the players really struggling with that system was Nacho Monreal. With his pace on the wane and Arsenal not affording their full-backs sufficient protection, he was being exposed by speedy wingers.
However, in the spring, a run of poor results forced Wenger to move away from his preferred setup. In his desperation, he turned to a back three. That move would prove to be the start of a remarkable renaissance for Monreal's Arsenal career.
The Spaniard is an absolute natural as the left-most of Arsenal's three central defenders. His natural instinct to push up and win the ball high up the pitch suits the system perfectly, as there are another two centre-backs able to cover when required.
Monreal will turn 32 later this season but has arguably never been quite so important to Arsenal. With Laurent Koscielny's Achilles causing him regular problems, and Mertesacker set to retire at the end of the season, he could well be a mainstay of the Arsenal defence for another couple of years to come.
Less important
4. Alexis Sanchez
Let's get one thing clear: Once any given match is underway, Alexis remains important to Arsenal. He is arguably their best player and is capable of winning a match with one moment of individual brilliance.
However, his appearance in these rankings is largely a consequence of just how important he was a year ago. Twelve months back, Alexis was the man at Arsenal around whom the entire team was constructed. Wenger was still occasionally experimenting with using him as a centre-forward, but even when he operated from the left flank the whole XI appeared to be geared to get the best out of the prolific Chilean.
Alexis does not quite hold the same status at Arsenal these days. That's largely due to his contractual situation: With the player refusing to sign a new deal, Wenger has been forced to try to lessen his dependence on the former Barcelona man.
The signing of Alexandre Lacazette has helped by adding another regular goalscorer. However, Wenger has also shown a willingness to leave Alexis out from time to time. When he was passed fit for the match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, most fans expected him to start. Instead, he began on the bench.
Twelve months ago, Alexis would surely have been in that XI. However, with his future seemingly lying elsewhere, Wenger is less wedded to his star forward. He remains integral to Arsenal's hopes—but significantly less so than last season.
3. Francis Coquelin
By the time November 2016 came around, Cazorla was already out injured. The Spaniard is still on the sidelines—and his absence has had major repercussions for Francis Coquelin.
For two years, Coquelin and Cazorla were Wenger's preferred midfield partnership. Coquelin effectively operated as Cazorla's bouncer, winning the ball back before looking to find his more naturally gifted team-mate. Without the skilful Spaniard, Coquelin has floundered. Although the Frenchman is picking up game time in the cup competitions, his days as a first-team regular appear numbered.
As his playing time has decreased, so has his confidence. At his best, Coquelin looked like a tidy footballer. Now he is prone to attempting outlandish passes he doesn't have the technical capacity to pull off.
He is one of the players to have suffered from the formation change to 3-4-2-1. With three central defenders on the field, Wenger no longer feels he requires the protection Coquelin provides. Xhaka and Ramsey are both superior footballers, and as long as they remain fit Coquelin is likely to stay on the sidelines.
2. Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud has admitted he had the opportunity to leave Arsenal last summer. However, he chose to stay and insists he is happy with that decision. Per the Telegraph, Giroud said:
"I am not questioning myself about my future. I am happy at Arsenal and I am fine with the decision to stay because I want to. I am thinking that the story between the club and myself was not over and not finished.
"Arsene's always supporting me and there is a lot of trust in each other. He trusts in me and I try to give it back on the pitch when I can. I keep believing in my quality and I keep the faith. I have a lot of objectives with Arsenal and my country so I always try to move forward and keep scoring."
Giroud has managed to keep scoring to a certain extent—he has three goals this season, a tally that has taken him to the impressive landmark of 100 Arsenal goals.
However, his stock has fallen significantly; Giroud has not started a single Premier League game this season.
The arrival of Lacazette is what has effectively pushed him down the pecking order. Wenger sought a different kind of striker to spearhead his attack, and Lacazette has the speed and movement to bring variety and unpredictability to the Gunners front line.
Over the past 12 months, Giroud has evolved from certain starter to super-sub. He remains an important squad member for Wenger but little more than that.
1. Theo Walcott
It's amazing to think that a year ago Theo Walcott was scoring goals regularly from his position on the right-hand side of the Arsenal attack. This season, he has barely got a look-in in the competition that matters most: Thus far, he has played just 48 minutes of Arsenal's Premier League campaign.
He has been figuring regularly in the Carabao Cup and Europa League and has even plundered three goals for Arsenal's second-string side. However, he is nowhere near breaking into Wenger's best XI. The likes of Alex Iwobi, Welbeck and Wilshere have all moved ahead of him in the queue to play off the main striker.
The truth is that the role doesn't really suit Walcott. Arsenal's new system effectively relies on having two No. 10s behind Lacazette. Walcott is a wide man whose best asset is his ability to make runs off the ball. The 3-4-2-1 requires the inside-forwards to be adept ball carriers. More often than not, Walcott looks lost.
No player has been part of Wenger's squad longer than Walcott. However, it's legitimate to wonder how much longer he'll be at the Emirates Stadium. Right now, it doesn't look like there's room for him.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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